


In His Eyes

by ClaryFangirl



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: 1940s, Alternate Universe - Actors, Blow Jobs, F/F, How Do I Tag, Kissing, M/M, Slow Burn, Smut, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-04-11 17:06:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19114042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaryFangirl/pseuds/ClaryFangirl
Summary: There were several reasons as to why Eliott hadn't been able to actually make the movie, but now that it was written and they'd found a studio willing to work with them, it felt surreal.Enter Lucas, Eliott's love interest in the movie, he's cute, a good kisser, a good actor, and completely straight. As far as Eliott knows. He had a girlfriend, doesn't he?





	1. I

Eliott knew that his idea was odd. That was the one certainty of a gay love story set in the 40s that has a happy ending. He'd expected backlash, some form of 'No, that will never sell' from possible writers, but he'd been pitching the idea for years and had had no luck so far.  
  "Why don't you just write it yourself?" Sofiane suggested one night.  
 "I don't know how to write dialogue, it sounds so stiff and awkward," Eliott said, dramatically draped over a chair.  
  "Why don't I write it?"  
"What?"  
  "Well, I better put the English degree to use at least once, right?" Sofiane laughed it off, but with an undertone of seriousness.  
"Are you kidding?" Eliott asked. "Because if you're not, I will be so fucking happy,"

*

Three months later, the script was finished, edited and the pair were happy with it. They'd found a studio, a small, indie genre, studio willing to produce the movie, but they had to find the actors themselves. Any other crew members would be provided.

Idriss recommended his sister's friend Lucas to play Philip, the love interest from Simon (Eliott's) view of the story.  
  "Why should he play Philippe?" Eliott asked.  
"Because he's a fantastic actor, well, according to Imane,"  
  "He'll have to audition,"   
"Well, duh," Idriss said.

*

"Hi, I'm Lucas Lallemant, auditioning for Philip?" A voice from behind Eliott said. He turned around and was faced with the most beautiful man he'd ever met.  
 "Hi Lucas, i'm Eliott, and I'll be playing Simon. What have you planned?"

*

They cast Lucas at the end of his monologue. He'd chosen Mercutio's Queen Mab monologue from Romeo and Juliet, and his delivery was just so good. He'd captured the insanity of the scene, the raised voice and slight screaming at the end, but started as if it was a dramatic conversation topic.   
 Eliott had given him applause after, simply because it was that incredible. Lucas was better at delivering the speech than Mercutio in Romeo+Juliet, the Baz Luhrmann version. And that was a very hard thing to accomplish.

*

They began rehearsing together, strategically avoiding the many kissing scenes. Eliott had to give props to Sofiane, he knew how to get Eliott to make out with a cute guy a lot in one movie.  
 Lucas nailed an old man impression because the movie starts with them as an old couple, their grandkids asking how they met. It was a cliché to start the movie that way, but Sofiane did write it in a good way.

 "Should we try the first kiss scene?" Lucas suggested. Eliott flipped through the script and his eyes landed on Act 2 Scene 4. Simon had needed extra lessons in hand-to-hand combat, and Philip had offered to spar with him. They kiss when Simon manages to sweep Philip and lands on top of him.  
  "Sure," He replied after skimming the page.

They did a slow, harmless attempt at sparring, and Eliott did manage to get Lucas on the ground.  
   "Looks like I've got ya there," He said. Luas smiled coyly and then moved his eyes towards Eliott's lips. He tiled Eliott's head up ever so slightly, so their lips were barely touching.  
"I can still win," He said, kissing him desperately. Eliott moved his lips against Lucas' and placed his hands at the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. Lucas flipped them over so he was on top.  
  "Told ya I could win," He said. His character was supposed to leave Eliott on the sparring floor, but they were in Eliott's tiny flat, so he just went into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom.

"How was that?" Lucas said in his normal accent.  
  "That was good. I think that when you're kissing me, try and take me by surprise, y'know?" Eliott said, leaning against his elbow on the bed.  
"And how would I do that?" Lucas said, climbing back onto the bed.  
  "Well, don't be as gentle, just kiss me. You did that whole thing where you tilted my head up, don't do that. Just be rougher," Eliott said. Lucas was closer now.

"Like this?" He asked. Eliott didn't have time to respond before Lucas pulled him in for another kiss. This time, he'd grabbed him by the shirt collar and yanked him in. Eliott made a small squeak in response but leaned into the kiss.

"That was better," Eliott said when they pulled apart.  
 "I'm glad," Lucas said. He checked his watch and his eyes blew up.  
 "Shit, I was supposed to meet Manon for coffee ten minutes ago! I'm so sorry," He said, collecting his things around his apartment.

*

Was Manon his girlfriend? Eliott wondered once Lucas had left. He knew that the chances of Lucas being gay were slim to none, but he still liked kissing him. It was different than it had been with Lucille. Kissing her had been like kissing a dummy, there was no mutual involvement, she'd expected him to do everything. But Lucas took what he wanted from Eliott and left him needing more.   
  And he was thankful that Sofiane had made sure they kissed a lot in the movie.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliott and Lucas start shooting the movie, but Eliott hasn't met all of the cast members, so, he's good, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how movies are shot and such (I'm 15 and I don't exactly live in a hotspot for movie shooting) so sorry if there are any inaccuracies in any of the chapters.

When Eliott walked onto the set that morning, he felt ridiculous. He was wearing the outfit his character wore when he met Philip, but Eliott had a few complaints. Mainly the fact that he was wearing the most hideous hat he'd ever seen. It was bright yellow with a brown buckle around it, and it was a cowboy hat. He understood that there was a reason behind the cowboy hat, but couldn't they get their hands on a normal coloured one instead of one that made him look like Big Bird?

"Howdy cowboy," Lucas' voice came from behind him. See, that was a normal 40s outfit.   
 "Howdy," Eliott said in his best Western accent.  
 "Have you met Manon? She plays Delphine," Lucas introduced the woman standing next to him. She was also in a 1940s getup, but her hair was still in rollers and her makeup wasn't done yet. Eliott racked his brain for Delphine and remembered.  
  "Oh! Hi, I'm Eliott," He reached out his hand for her to shake.  
"Manon," She said.  
  "How did you hear about the project?"  
"Oh, my friend Imane's brother Idriss is friends with the writer, you?"  
 "It's my idea, my friend Sofiane offered to write it because I'm awful at writing," Eliott responded.

*

"Howdy cowboy," Philip said, sitting down next to Simon at the bar.  
 "How'd you end up here, in a bar in France, speaking such good English?" Simon said, still not facing him.  
"Believe it or not, but I just got sent down here. We got down here a few days ago and this is the first time we're allowed to go out and have a drink. What about you?"  
 "Been here about a year, and I haven't had a chance to go back yet. It's my sister's birthday and I can't see her, so I'm just drowning my sorrows in whisky," Simon murmured.

They kept talking, and slowly, Simon loosened up enough to suggest that they go out for drinks together more often.  
 "Absolutely! If you need to find me, just look for Sgt. Philip Martin in the 107th,"  
"You're in the 107th? So am I. And if you need to find me, just look for Lieutenant Simon Bernard,"  
  "Will do," They shook hands and left the bar.

"Cut!" Idriss shouted from his assistant director's chair.   
  "Did we do anything wrong?" Lucas asked.  
"No, can you just run that scene again? And Lucas, remember, you really want him. look at him with more desire if you can," Idriss said, looking over at Eliott.  
"Exactly, we need to have more pining, y'know?" Eliott added.

 

They ran the scene again, and this time both Idriss and Eliott were happy with the results. The next scene they were going to shoot was when Simon is going to ask Philip out for real, and then Philip introduces him to Delphine, his new French girlfriend.  
 "Action!"

Simon was sitting at the bar, waiting anxiously for the arrival of his friend. Philip had mentioned something about introducing someone to him this week, and Simon was dreading it. The reason why was because he wanted to ask Philip if _he was a friend of Dorothy's_ , so to speak, but the way Philip spoke of the 'friend' told Simon not to get his hopes up.  
  "Lieutenant Bernard!" His voice broke him from his thoughts. Philip was standing there, a girl holding onto his arm. She was pretty, by all means, her hair was perfectly curled and the coat she wore matched her dress nicely.  
  "This is Delphine, she's my girlfriend. Delphine, Je vous presenté Simon Bernard, il est mon ami,"  
"Bonsoir, madame," Simon kissed the back of her hand. Delphine smiled and looked at Philip.

The trio got along fine, and Simon practised his French, hoping not to offend Delphine.    
  "You wanted to ask me something?" Philip said when she'd gone to the bathroom.  
"Oh, nevermind. It's not that important,"  
 "Are you sure? I hope me bringing Delphine wasn't rude of me,"  
"Don't you worry about that, she's a good one," Simon looked at the time. "Oh good heavens, I forgot that I was supposed to meet a friend. Do you mind?"  
"Not at all," Philip said.

Once he'd left the bar, he could take a breath. Simon walked into the alley behind it and softly began to cry. He knew that it was illegal, immoral and wrong. He knew that falling for heterosexual men was essentially suicide. But Philip had been so charming, so gentle, it was impossible not to fall for him.   
 Delphine was a lucky girl, he just wished he would be in her shoes.

 

"Cut!" Idriss yelled. "Eliott, that was fantastic! You really captured his stream of emotions, and I am proud of you. Lucas, Manon, you did great. You made him super jealous, which is ideal in this scenario,"  Eliott looked at the time. 

"And that's a wrap!" He called.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More pining! They film the first kiss scene and the first time the characters make love (that's the worst way I could word it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of kissing in this chapter, just a heads-up. Also, the actual smut starts when Idriss says "And, action!" so if you want to skip it, that's where it starts, it ends at "And they did, yet again,"

Simon was sparring with Philip. He'd signed up for extra training, and Philip had volunteered to train him.

It was mostly hand-to-hand combat, which was important, but the Nazis weren't exactly going to attack him with a pocket knife, were they? They were sparring, and by some miracle, Simon managed to kick Philip's legs out from under him, which sent him to the floor. Not even a second had passed before Simon was on top of Philip, his arm at his throat.  
  "Looks like I've got ya there," He said smugly. Philip looked at him, almost daring him to get closer.  
"I can still win," The sentence was barely finished before their lips were touching. Simon let out a low moan and pulled Philip closer by the nape of his neck. His tongue swiped over his lips and Simon opened them willingly, desperate for more. He didn't even notice when they switched places until Philip stopped kissing him.  
 "Told ya I could win," He said and got off.  They walked towards their water bottles.  
"That's cheating," Simon said defensively.  
  "Oh is it? Then so is this," Lips were on his again. Softer this time, less aggressive, but still needy. Simon's hands found his waist and pulled Philip closer. He gasped, and he took that chance to slip his tongue into his mouth. Simon pushed him against the wall, earning another moan from him.

The sound of high heels approaching interrupted them, and they leapt apart, both of them grabbing their bottles.  
  "Philip!" Delphine said. "I looked everywhere for you, why are you here?" Her English had improved, but she still had an incredibly heavy accent.  
"I was training Simon, he needs it,"  
  "Oh, well, don't stay here too late, we have a date tonight," she said, kissing him. When she pulled away, he had traces of red lipstick.  
"I'll be there," Philip said, slightly uncomfortable.

The moment they were certain she was out of hearing range, they were kissing again.

 

"Cut!" Lucas and Eliott pulled away, panting.  
  "Anything we can improve?" Lucas asked.  
"Not in my opinion, Elio, do you have anything to add?" Idriss said.  
 "I don't think so, because when we practiced the scene, I already gave pointers, and it seems like you listened to me," Eliott said. Lucas nodded.   
"Ok, take ten, and then we're shooting the sex scene, so boys, be ready," Idriss said. Sofiane caught his eye and smirked. It wasn't a 'you're about to make out with a super hot guy and film a sex scene with him' smirk, but Eliott couldn't tell exactly what it was.

 

Simon pushed open the door, leading Philip inside. The moment he made sure it was locked, he kissed him feverishly. He needed to kiss him, or else, he wouldn't be able to function properly. He _needed_ Philip, he needed to be inside him. Simon grabbed at Philips shirt, unbuttoning it impatiently, and the moment it flew open, his hands were roaming his body. Simon didn't know how they ended up on the bed, but he was kissing Philip's stomach, moving slowly towards his crotch.  
  "Please, fucking touch me already," Philip moaned obscenely.

"CUT! Sofiane, can you eat any louder?" Idriss said. Lucas and Eliott started getting redressed for the redoing of the scene.  
 "Sorry," He apologised and moved farther away.  
"And, action!"

 

Simon mouthed lightly around Philip's cock, kissing it ever so softly.  
 "Please, fucking touch me already," He moaned obscenely. And who was Simon to reject him of such pleasures? He unzipped the trousers and placed his mouth on Philip's stiff cock. He let out a throaty moan that almost made Simon come. But, just as Philip was about to, Simon stopped and moved his attention back.

Once he was stretched wide enough, Simon pushed through and into Philip.  
"Oh, god, fuck yes!" He exclaimed, moving his hips for friction.  
  "Does that feel good?" Simon asked. He didn't get a verbal reply, just Philip biting his lips, attempting to hold back his moans. But when Simon began thrusting, there was no more silence.  
  Least of all when he hit a spot that made Philip see white.  
"Oh, fuck, right there!" He almost screamed but had to bite down. Simon felt something building up inside him, and he kept on going until he felt he was going to explode.  
 "Do you want me to pull out?"  
"Oh, fuck yes," Philip gasped at the lack of something inside him. The two of them came at the same time, panting furiously, but glowing.

 

"Cut! That was really good, guys. Try it again, but make sure to kiss more, you know, because kissing is special, for them, so let's try it once more," Idriss instructed.

And they did, yet again.

"Cut! Lucas, you need to look more like you need him, y'know?"  
"Gotcha,"

 

Eliott could've sworn Lucas was messing up the scene on purpose, because for no other reason could he think as to why they had to reshoot the scene 28 times. But by the 28th time shooting it, Idriss was finally satisfied.  
 "Excellent job y'all, I know it's not easy to do this that many times, but it's all going to be worth it in the end, I promise," He said. 

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Believe it or not, that's the first sex scene I've written that goes beyond a blowjob, and I'm not super ashamed of it.


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how to write trailers, so this is as good as it gets. the trailer is in italics

They'd spend months filming that movie, and in the end, they were proud of it. Every single cast and crew member was proud of the result, and it showed once Idriss called "Cut!" on the final scene, which so happened to be the first scene of the movie.  
  "And that's a wrap on the whole movie!" Idriss and Eliott called out in unison. People hugged, gave each other gifts, and Eliott was certain he saw Manon sneak a few props into her bags.

He was going to miss this, all of the cast members, playing the role of Simon, and, most of all, kissing Lucas. He knew it was normal to get crushes on guys you work with, especially when you play lovers, but it had been several months, and he'd heard something about crushes only lasting a few weeks. 

"Eliott, come over here," Lucas had moved over to a more remote corner.   
"What's up?" He asked.  
  "Well, I'm going to miss hanging out with you every day, and I've gotten used to your presence, so do you want to come over to mine for drinks when the trailer drops?"  
  "Absolutely," Eliott replied. He may have looked calm, but inside, his entire mind was going 'HOLY SHIT THE GUY WE LIKE KINDA ASKED US OUT' but like, in a normal way.

It took a few weeks for the trailer to drop, and since there hadn't been that much media coverage of it, the actors took to themselves to promote the movie via Twitter, Instagram, and even on Eliott's YouTube channel, where he'd uploaded snippets of Behind the Scenes footage of the movie.

The trailer itself was well done, and Eliott waited until he could go to Lucas' place before he watched it.

 

 _'Grandpa, how did you two meet?' A child's voice asked. You couldn't see anything, except for a black screen._  
 _'Well, we both were in the war together, and we became friends. After a while, we began seeing each other,' Photos started showing, most of Philip and Delphine._  
 _'When did you know you were in love?'_  
 _'When we kissed, it was long overdue and I felt like a jackass for taking so long,'_  
 _'Is there anything you regret?' The child asked. The grandfather took a deep breath._  
'No,' The flood of photos stopped, and a song began playing.  
'It was 1943, and the war was going strong. I'd just gotten my orders, I was to be sent to a small town in France. I'd spend a few days in the training camp, being a drill sergeant, but one day, I decided to go out for drinks, alone. There was someone at the bar, wearing a bright yellow cowboy hat,' He paused to laugh at the memory.  
'I said, Howdy Cowboy, just to be funny. I didn't think I'd lock eyes with the prettiest person I had ever seen,' he continued. 'We agreed to meet every week at that place for drinks because I didn't have any friends. One day, I met someone else. I thought she was the loveliest person ever, she was sweet, but she didn't speak any English, so I had to do my best in my limited French. So, I brought her to meet my friend. I hoped they'd get along, but that never happens.' There was a slight pause as if he was looking for more memories.  
'I did a stupid thing, I kissed 'em when we were training together, and we slept together. But I was still together with Delphine, you remember Delphine?' The kids agreed. The video of a tall man kissing someone pushed against the wall played, but the other person was blocked from view.  


 _'I broke up with Delphine, because all of the guilt was eating me alive, and I couldn't cope with that, and then, I got a mission. I was being sent far away from France, and so I had to say goodbye,'_  
'Are you making the grandkids cry again?' Another male, voice came.  
'No, my darling, I'm just telling them the story of how we met,'  
 'You don't even know the full story,' The other man said.

_'I knew he was in love with me, I could see it In His Eyes,' The line played on the screen, roses growing from the text._

 

"Putain, that's cheesy," was the first thing Lucas said in reaction to the trailer  
 "It's literally a romantic movie, Lulu," Eliott responded.  
"You didn't have to tell a love story to kids while using no pronouns of the love interest for 'dramatic effect,' He put air quotes over the last two words.  
  "No, but I had to cry because you got a girlfriend," 

They decided to go on twitter, just to see if there were any reactions to the trailer yet.

**@Sao**   
**OMFG THE #INHISEYESMOVIE TRAILER DROPPED. Y'ALL DON'T UNDERSTAND, THIS IS A GAY MOVIE WITH A HEALTHY GAY RELATIONSHIP THAT SEEMS TO END HAPPILY, IM FUCKHING DYING**

**@feli**   
**@Buzzfeed PLEASE MAKE AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CAST, THEY SEEM SO ADORABLE. @srodulv IS THE MOST CHARMING MAN I'VE EVER SEEN**

**@armo**   
**Can a major media outlet please cover the release of In His Eyes? It's a movie about a gay couple who get together during World War Two, and it needs more attention.**

 


	5. V

**Do We Really Need Another Gay Movie? These Straight People Say No**

"The gays are already everywhere, and now they're infiltrating our movies? Movies are for straight people only, that's God's Will," Says Joeseph Claeson in response to the trailer of the movie In His Eyes. In His Eyes is a movie about a gay couple, who get together during World War two, and doesn't feature any annoying tropes such as the fashionable gay, the sassy gay, or the dead gay. Many are delighted over the new movie, there have been tons of positive posts about it. But not everyone is happy with it.  
  "Gays didn't exist in World War Two, I would've killed them myself," Says 20-year old Leonie Schmidt, who was not around in the second world war.

 

**Teenagers Are Delighted With New, Gay Movie**

A few days ago, the trailer for a new romantic movie was released. The trailer was a grandfather telling a story to his grandchildren, not using any pronouns. Then, the bomb is dropped and we find out that he's married to a man. Lots of teenagers were ecstatic over the news and took to social media. One tweet reads "I can't believe that in 20biTeen, we're getting a gay couple with at least one (1) being bi, the lord is smiling upon us."  
 The movie will receive an R rating, and at first, this angered fans, but star and Director Eliott Demaury told BlueNews that they didn't want to censor anything, so they swore a lot, and there is a sex scene, which the actors were proud of.   
"It's important to us that we tell the full story, not one we have to be ashamed of. I'm French, so I'm used to not having to censor anything, and I think that's an important factor. I'm all for LGBTQ+ romances directed at kids, but with a story as rich as this, you can't leave anything out,"

 

**Here's Everything You Need To Know About the New Movie 'In His Eyes'**

* This is the first time any of the actors are featured in a movie.

* Lucas Lallemant and Eliott Demaury, Philip and Simon respectively, have tons of kissing scenes.

* It's in English, which is weird, considering everyone involved is French.

* Eliott Demaury, star, director and producer, has been trying to get this movie to happen for years but was unable to find writers, let alone studios willing to produce the movie.

* It will be released on the 26th of June this year.

* According to Manon Demissy, who plays the character of Delphine, there is minimal homophobia. She explained that they couldn't have a completely free and accepting movie since it's set in 1943, but she wished it could.

* Neither of the actors have denied or confirmed rumours of their sexualities, although they have mentioned them several times.

 

" _Lucas, lire ca_ ," Eliott said, trying to get his attention. Lucas moved over to read the article.  
  "Are they implying that we're gay just because we haven't denied gay rumours?" He asked.  
"Don't worry, it happens all the time. Straight actors get their sexualities questioned if their character is slightly feminine or masculine," Eliott said. There was a long pause, during which Eliott finished his beer and went to get another one.

"Do you think they'll keep talking about it even if we tell them?" Lucas asked when Eliott returned.  
 "Probably, because either we tell them we're straight, and they'll freak the fuck out over straight people playing gay characters, or we keep quiet and they'll assume that since we haven't denied it, we must be gay or bi," He said, leaning back onto the couch.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, people! I've been really busy with school, but I'm finally free. I plan on doing a lot of writing so you'll probably get more chapters ASAP.


	6. VI

The 26th of June rolled around and so did the premiere. Lucas was slightly terrified of the news reporters, but Eliott was holding his hand throughout the drive to the theatre. It was nice, and he wasn't sure if the gesture was platonic or romantic, but he appreciated it. Things had been flirty between them lately. Lucas had leaned his head against Eliott's shoulder during interviews and they had cuddled a lot. Eliott had just let them happen.

Flashlights blinded them as they stepped out of the car, and there were a lot of reporters, more than they'd anticipated for such a small film.  
  "Lucas! How do you feel about everyone saying that, since you don't have a girlfriend, you're gay?" One voice, in particular, stood out. Eliott halted for a split second, Lucas didn't have a girlfriend? What about Manon? He'd have to ask him about her later to clear the air.  
  "I don't mind, people will keep up with their theories no matter what I say, so I'll stay neutral to the situation," Lucas replied.

 

"Eliott! You're a director, actor and producer in this movie, that's gotta put a lot of stress on you, how do you cope?" Someone else asked and he was torn from his lifeline. He and Lucas had practised their interviews with fake questions, and Lucas had promised him to be there if his mind went blank, but he wasn't.

"I don't know, I managed to work my way through a lot, so I guess I have some kind of immunity against stress," He joked. Thank God the reporter laughed.  
 "Is there someone special in your life? Someone you'd bring to the premier?" She asked, looking over his shoulder.  
 "Nope, no one. I would've asked my ex, but she's really busy,"   
"That's too bad, I hope a lucky guy or girl will come around soon," She said. Eliott moved on to the next one. He saw Lucas standing, talking to BlueNews.

"Hey," He kissed his cheek softly, barely a brush, but it was prominently deliberate.  
  "Is there something going on between you two?" The interviewer asked.  
"No, we're close and comfortable, but no romance," Eliott said, a bit too defensively.  
  "Lucas, we've heard rumours that you're close, very close, with your costar Manon Demissy, is it true you're dating?" The interviewer didn't seem all too happy with Eliott's presence, but he kept a professional facade.  
  "No, Manon and I are good friends. I was friends with her best friend's boyfriend in high school, and then I moved in with her and her roommates," He explained. A tiny bit of his French accent slipped through the almost too good American one, and Eliott smiled softly.

 

"Eliott!" Someone else called. "Is it true you originally wanted this to be in French?" He asked in French. Impressive.  
"You've done your research. Yes, I was keen on the idea at first, but the writer, Sofiane, said it would be easier to sell the script to a company if they were English-speaking," He answered, thankful to be able to speak his native language. He wasn't uncomfortable speaking English all of the time, but it was his second language, and it was tiring to have to think out the answers before answering.  
"There are rumours concerning your sexuality, have you got anything to say to those spreading those rumours?"  
 "No,"  
"Nothing you've been thinking about?" The interviewer urged.  
"No, I have no problem with people caring about my sexuality. If they see me holding hands with a guy, they'll assume I'm gay, if I hold hands with a girl, they'll assume I'm straight, and I don't mind. I like a bit of mystery in my life," Eliott said, remaining surprisingly calm.

 

Finally, they were ushered off the carpet and into the movie theatre.

The lights slowly faded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffanger+ short chapter. I've decided to write three chapters dedicated to the movie itself, so if you're confused when the next chapter arrives, don't worry.  
>  The chapters will be long, and it'll take a while to write them, and I can't give you exactly when they should be up, but soon. Hopefully, the first will be up by the end of the week.


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Movie: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about military terms, and I'd appreciate it if someone could help me. But, for now, it remains inaccurate.

"Grandad, how did you two meet?" A child asked. Simon smiled, his eyes glazing over slightly.  
"I've told you this story before,"  
  "But it's sweet, Mom said it should be made into a movie!" The child said.  
"Very well," He took a deep breath and began.

 

It had been a long day. All Simon wanted to do was relax, and he was trying to, honest. But it was a bit hard to do so when you're surrounded by a bunch of loud, drunk Frenchmen.  
  Technically, he shouldn't be complaining, because the French were friends of the Americans, but there was only so much noise he could stand.  
"Howdy, cowboy,"  Someone said, sitting down next to him. There was somethin' about that man, it was like Simon could _smell_ he was American.  
 "How'd you end up in a bar in France, speakin' such good English?" He questioned. He didn't look at the American.  
"Believe it or not, I just got sent down here. We arrived a few days ago and haven't had any time to relax or have fun. What are you doin', sittin' lonely in a bar?"  
  "It's my sister's birthday. And I couldn't get sent home to see her, so I'm drownin' my sorrows in whisky," Simon said. He turned around to look at the man.

Holy fuck, he was gorgeous in his uniform. He had brown hair, slicked back smoothly. He was kinda short, but Simon was freakishly tall.  
  "You're staring at me," The man noted.  
"Oh? Sorry, I lost my train of thought. Can I get you a drink?" Simon offered.  
  "You treatin' me like a dame?" Simon blushed at the question.  
"Sorry-"  
"I'm joking. Man, you need to loosen up more. I'd love a drink,"   
  "Uh, bartender, another whisky for me and a-" He trailed off.  
"Bloody mary,"  
  "And a bloody mary for my companion here,"

"Why are you wearing that hat?" He asked.  
"Oh, I forgot I had it on. My friends made me a bet that Europeans are used to weird things, so we agreed I would wear this bright yellow cowboy hat for a night, and if a number of people under 20 point it out, I win, if not, I owe my friends two dollars each," Simon explained. The other man whistled.  
"Oh, I'm rude. I don't even have your name yet," Simon said.  
  "Relax, it's alright. I'm Philip, you?"  
"Simon,"

They chatted for a bit longer, losing track of time.

"Holy moly, it's almost midnight? I've got to get back to Headquarters," Simon's eyes widened as they passed the clock on the wall.  
  "What unit are you in?"   
"The 107th, I just got promoted to Lieutenant,"  
  "That's great! I'm a Sergeant, same unit,"

They agreed to meet every Saturday night for drinks because they needed familiarity. They shook hands and left the bar.

 

Simon was in his office, writing condolence letters to the families of fallen soldiers. He didn't know most of the soldiers, but it still hurt him. So many good soldiers, good men, were presumably dead. Or if they were alive, they had very little chance of surviving.  
  "Telegram, Lieutenant Bernard," He was handed the letter.

I AM BRINGING A GUEST TONIGHT - SERGEANT MARTIN

Simon smiled and folded the note in half, tucking it into his chest pocket. He got back to work.

 

The bar was pretty empty for a Saturday night, but there were still people. He was waiting nervously for the arrival of his friend. He was nervous enough meeting the friend Philip was bringing, but he was planning to ask if he was a _Friend of Dorothy's_ , so to speak. He'd been having some feelings for the other man, and first, needed to know if he wasn't heterosexual.  
  "Lieutenant Bernard!" His attention was drawn to a couple that had just entered. Philip was standing in the doorway with a lady on his arm. 

She was pretty, and she had brown hair which was pulled back carefully into a ponytail. She had a red lipstick that matched both her nails and her dress.  
  "This is my girlfriend, Delphine. Delphine, Je vous presenté Simon Bernard. Il est mon ami," He introduced them. Simon shook her hand.  
"Bonsoir Mademoiselle," He said.

They got along well, and Simon did get to practice his French a lot in an attempt not to offend Delphine.   
  "You've been looking as if you've wanted to say something for most of the evening so far. Is it about her? Oh, was it rude for me to bring her?" Philip asked when Delphine had left to use the bathroom.  
 "What? Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about her, she's a good one," He said. Delphine returned and gave Philip a long kiss. Like, excruciatingly long. He averted his eyes, letting them run across the walls.  
  "Oh good heavens! I was supposed to meet a friend. Do you mind me leaving?" Simon asked. When Philip shook his head, indicating his approval, he left as soon as possible.

He turned into an alley between the bar and the apartment building next to it. Once he was sure he was out of sight, he cried silently. He cried for allowing himself to fall for a man that could never love him back. He cried because he would never find someone who truly loved him. He cried because he would never see a time when people would accept him.

 

"Lieutenant, the Colonel believes you've spent too much time behind your desk. He suggests that you sign up for extra training. Now, we have a list of eligible officers who can train you, without the awkwardness of training a superior officer," His secretary said.  
  "Does he now?" Simon leaned back in his chair, thinking. Meanwhile, someone came and whispered something in her ear.  
"We have a volunteer, sir. Sergeant Martin, sir," she said.  
  "Excellent, I'll train with him, we're familiar," He said. She nodded in response, closing the door behind herself.

Simon mentally slapped himself. Why did he do that? Chose to be near someone he had feelings for. Someone who was almost certainly heterosexual. If he were to cancel it now, Philip would notice something's wrong, and the situation would evolve into something much worse. He didn't see exactly why he had to train. He was an office rat, and it wasn't very likely the Nazi's were going to attack him with a pocketknife.

 

They were mostly training hand-to-hand combat, how to deflect punches and such. But, Philip had a few other ideas.  
"Why don't we try some wrestling? It wouldn't exactly be a punch-exchanging fight," He suggested. Simon shrugged, showing his indifference.  
 "Sure," And they were sparring again.

"Hey, good workout today," Simon said when they were heading towards the showers.  
  "You're welcome, I'm glad I could be of assistance. How many more training sessions do you think we'll have to do?" Philip replied.  
"Well, I don't think the Colonel would be happy with just one, so I'd suggest a few more, just to be safe,"  
"Excellent. Should this be a weekly thing, or how often should we do it?"  
 "How often are you available?" Simon asked. They'd arrived at the showers and had begun stripping.  
"Quite a lot, I don't get a lot of free time, but I am technically working when I'm training you,"  
  "Same time tomorrow?"  
"Sure,"

 

They parted ways and returned to their offices.

Simon couldn't stop thinking about Philip that night. He'd been so charming during their session, speaking to him like a normal person, not a superior officer. No unnecessary 'yes sir' or 'no sir'. Just two friends hanging out.   
But he wanted more.   
 Simon should cherish friendship as close as this one, considering they'd just seen each other in the shower without any problems, but he wanted assurance that Philip was his. Not available for some dame for him to sweep off her feet. Delphine was nice, and her English had improved ever since she'd started dating an American, who was frantically refreshing the French he learned in grade school.

But he wanted Philip for himself. Jealousy wasn't kind, especially when it's unjustified. He wasn't going out with Philip, no matter how much he wanted to, so he didn't have much reason to be jealous of Delphine. 

Stupid, beautiful Delphine who got to kiss him, make love to him, call him hers. Delphine, who got to listen to him try and be romantic in French. 

God, he was in deep. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Jolene' by Dolly Parton is a good song, change my mind.


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated this since June. I would have an excuse, but I didn't have the energy to write (I often get migraines, so using a computer is one of the worst things for me. But now I'm back.

Simon was avoiding Philip. He knew that much. Obviously, he had training with him almost daily, but other than that, he came up with excuses for Thursday drinks, he turned the other way if he saw him in the hallway, and he tried as much as possible to stay busy.

The training was Hell. he had to be in such proximity with someone he had feelings for? Saying it was awkward would be an understatement. Simon kept squirming whenever they landed in an intimate position.   
Now that we're all caught up on how hopelessly gay Simon was, let's focus on a particular day. The 18th of September.

It was an entirely regular day. Simon had planned a few attacks on the Germans, had lunch with his secretary and was now on his way to training with Philip.   
After a few warmups, they were at it. Philip had suggested they try and take each other down and then wrestle. That's how it was in real life. You didn't stop fighting just because you managed to knock them to the ground.  
 Speaking of which, by some miracle, Simon had managed to kick Philip's legs out from under him, laying him flat on the floor. A split second passed before Simon was on top, legs squeezing his waist.  
  "Got ya," He said smugly. Goodness, their faces were so close. There was barely a centimetre between their lips. Philip looked at him, almost daring him to get closer. His eyes flickered to Simon's lips, then back to his eyes.

 "I can still win," He said quietly. Before Simon could question it, they were kissing. Lips were on his and he was walking on clouds. He grasped Philip's neck, pulling him closer. He wanted, no, he _needed_ more. 

They'd switched places. How on Earth did he not notice that? Sometime during their kiss, Philip had flipped them and now he was on top, sitting on Simon's chest.  
"I won,"  
  "By cheating," They were walking to their water bottles.  
"That was barely cheating,"  
  "Oh really? You caught me by surprise and you used it to your advantage. You can't just kiss me and expect to win,"  
"Where in the rules does it say I can't kiss you?" Philip inquired, leaning against the wall. Simon sputtered, trying to think through the haze of his brain. 

So, as any normal human does, he kissed him. Again. Obviously, this caught Philip by surprise, but he hid it well because he welcomed being shoved against the wall by someone half a foot taller than him. Sadly, it was cut short by the sound of high heels approaching rapidly.

"Philip? Mon cher, te voilà! I have been looking for you everywhere," Delphine said.  
"I've been training Simon here, as we have for the past week, what's going on?"  
  "Have you seriously forgotten? We have a date, it's at 5, so don't be here too long. You need a shower, mon cher," She said, pulling him in by his tie for a kiss.

Once she'd left, Philip had traces of her lipstick on his lips, and he smelled ever so slightly of her perfume. 

 

 

Simon was pacing in his room. It wasn't a common practice for him, but it had begun happening more and more after he realised that his feelings for Philip were anything but platonic. Soft jazz music was heard through the wall, accompanying Simons obsessive thoughts.

He knew that Philip had a choice in front of him. And he almost certainly knew what he would choose. _Who_ he would choose. Simon realised that maybe there were actual feelings between them, but he couldn't ignore how happy Philip looked when Delphine entered the room. His eyes would light up, and he would smile at her as if she was the only person that mattered.  
God, how he wished that was him. He wished it was him that brightened Philip's world. He wished he could make Philip that happy, but he couldn't. Simon knew that they would get married, buy a nice house in the suburbs, have a few kids to fill the rooms and never discuss the elephant in the room. He knew it with every bone in his body.

But he was torturing himself thinking about the future. Thinking about how he could never marry happily. He'd have to marry a girl he didn't truly love, sneak off in the night to sleep with other men, just to get satisfied. He wished he could just fucking kiss Philip in public and not be arrested.   
He flopped down on the bed, face first and he fucking _sobbed_. Never done that before.

A knock.

A knock cut through the sobs and jazz music. A knock on Simons door. 

"I know you're in there, I can hear you," Philip's voice came through the door. Simon dried his eyes and opened it, much against his better judgement, he thought.  
"Look, I get it, you like her too much to keep lying to her, so you're here to tell me to stop kissin' you," He said before he could open his mouth.  
"I- what? No, no no, I'm here to tell you that I broke it off with Delphine. It's you I like more," Simon didn't need to hear anything else, that was enough.

He kissed him. It was like a drug, and he never wanted to quit. Simon pulled him inside and shut the door.  
   Making sure it was locked behind him, they made their way to the bed. He needed to kiss him, or else, he wouldn't be able to function properly. He  _needed_  Philip, he needed to be inside him. Simon grabbed at Philips shirt, unbuttoning it impatiently, and the moment it flew open, his hands were roaming his body. Simon didn't know how they ended up on the bed, but he was kissing Philip's stomach, moving slowly towards his crotch.  
  "Please, fucking touch me already," Philip moaned obscenely.  
"My pleasure," He said, mouthing the outline of his stiffening cock.   
"Fucking hell, Simon, you're a fucking tease," He managed to say, before succumbing to pleasure. 

 

It was bliss, and that was all Simon could think afterwards. He'd never been this satisfied, but yet he craved more. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with the man, and he didn't want to miss out on one second of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ, that was a rollercoaster. One chapter of the movie to go, I guess? And no, I didn not write the sex scene again. Why? I don't know, but that's the way it is.


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the movie: the final part.

"I'm leaving,"  
"What? Philip, what do you mean?"  
"They want me on this fucking mission in Belarus. It's some raid on a weapons factory. 35% chance of survival," Philip looked down at the floor. Simon stayed silent for a few minutes, holding his hands in his own, close to his heart.  
  "Make it out alive. For me," He whispered. Their faces were close to each other.

Not knowing whether or not they would see each other again, they kissed. It was a salty kiss, especially with all of the crying, but it was powerful. It said several hundred words without having them be spoken.

 

Simon went into a trance without Philip. He barely ate or slept, he just did what he could. He did his job, but he didn't speak to anyone, not daring to use his voice in case he broke.  He wrote letters, sending a few discreetly, hoping they would reach him. He didn't sign the letters, but he knew that Philipp would know it was him. He wrote in codes, but not obvious ones. He was careful with his feelings.  
Scarcely, letters would return, telling him all about the mission so far and what they were planning on doing the next day. They were what kept Simon sane during the weeks of Philip's absence. Reading the letters at night provided some comfort.

"Sir, the Belarus mission, it was a success! They're returning home!" He overheard his secretary tell someone.  
"Any casualties?"  
"None," And for the first time in weeks, the tiny candle of hope was lit.

 

They won the war.

  
They won the goddamn motherfucking war.

Hitler had died and the Nazi's had surrendered.

In the streets, people were cheering, there was a parade, there were a lot of kissing couples finally reunited after so much time apart. But there were also widows crying, children looking for their fathers who had died in the last days of the war and hadn't received a death notice yet. They stood in the shadows, not wanting to draw attention away from the fun of the victory parade.

Simon and Philip were alone in their building, watching the parade from Simon's fire escape.  
"Can you imagine what life would be like if we were born in the future?" Philip asked, taking a sip from his beer.  
  "What, like in 2003, surrounded by machines and robots?"  
"Shut up, you know what I mean. Living in a world where there won't be war everywhere. Being able to buy whatever you like whenever you like, not being constricted to rations,"  
  "'No more war',"  
"What?"  
  "That's what they said, back when the first one ended. 'No more war'. We say that now as well, what if we end up having another one, sometime in the future?" Simon said. Philip grasped his hand, leaning forward into his field of vision.  
  "Don't worry. Everyone knows how awful war is, it won't happen again. I mean, look at Japan, that shit got bombed twice, you think that's going to happen again? That kind of murder? You think people will still be separated because of where they come from in the future? No way, we have history to back us up. People aren't that stupid, to start blaming races for their problems again,"

A sad smile began creeping up on Simon's face, and he took a swig of his drink. 

Their time together was cut short by a sharp knock on the door. Three raps, all firm, leading them to believe it was a military person. Dread began filling Simon as he started thinking about everything wrong he'd ever done. Oh God, what if they found out about them being sodomites? They'd be dead. Philip went and answered the door. 

He didn't look back, afraid of what he would see, but he did hear that Philip was speaking french. And he heard a familiar voice answering.  
  "Simon, it's Delphine, she's got news!"   
"Salut, Simon,"   
"Salut Delphine, pourquoi es-tu ici?"  
"J'ai une petit ami, c'est un femme. J'aime les femmes et les hommes," She explained. You could do that? You could like both? Simon was impressed and thought for a few seconds. Nope, still fully attracted to men. Good to know.  
"Moi aussi, mais j'aime Simon," Philip said. So he liked both too? That explained why he seemed genuinely attracted to Delphine, back when they were together.

Simon wasn't bothered by the fact that Philip liked both. He'd heard of the term bisexual but hadn't given it much thought. What he cared about was whether or not Philip loved him, and he seemed head over heels, and that was good enough.

Delphine stayed for dinner, and they talked a lot. The conversation flowed like a river, switching between English and French seamlessly.

 

40 YEARS LATER, 1985

"Lily, don't forget your lunch!" Simon called after his daughter. They'd come far as a society. He couldn't marry Philip yet, but it was close. They lived in a nice apartment in Manhattan with their two children, Lily and Jake. Legally speaking, the children were adopted by Philip, and he was their adoptive father, but Lily and Jake saw Simon as their father just as much as they saw Philip.  
  "I got it! Also, can you ask Delphine to meet me after school? The principal wants to talk to her,"  
"Why?"  
  "She sees it as a problem that my 'maternal figure' is absent so much, which is apparently why I'm having problems staying focused in class,"  
"Maternal figure?"  
  "She doesn't want to realise that you and Dad are both my dads, so I told a white lie and said that Delphine and dad used to be married, but they got divorced,"  
"Alright, I'll call her," Simon clapped her shoulder as she left the house.

Last day of High School. In a few months, Lily would be studying medicine at Harvard, and Jake would be in Sweden, studying music at some fancy college called South Latin or something.

He was proud of his life. He had a family, a loving husband, two children and he couldn't wish for more. He'd miss his kids. He'd miss talking to them at dinner, about what they'd done in school. He'd miss Jake's constant stream of questions about the war, Lily's eye-rolls whenever Philip would try and use some new slang he'd heard of.

 

 

Jake married a Swedish girl he'd met at college. She was sweet and was surprisingly okay with him having two dads. Eva was a teacher at the same school where Jake and Lily once went.   
Lily didn't marry for a while, she was so busy, she barely saw her own family. But she met a nurse that piqued her interest. Ana Maria was her name, and though they didn't get married, they lived happily together, with a few cats, of course.

 

Their children brought the grandkids over a lot, and they loved it. Rosa and Charlie shared Jakes passion for the war, but they were also more interested in how their grandfathers met. Silja, the oldest grandchild, wasn't as interested in the stories, but she loved trying on their old clothes from back in the 40s.  
"How did you two meet?" Rosa was sitting by Simon's chair, eagerly leaning forward.  
  "Again? You've been told this story hundreds of times,"  
"Yeah, but it's our favourite," Charlie argued.  
  "Very well. It was 1943, in the middle of the war. I was in a bar because I was missing great aunt Sarah's birthday. See, I was only 18, but the war was already kicking my ass. Philip walked into the bar, and he commented on the hat I wore. Silja, you remember the yellow cowboy hat you love so much?" 

"That's the hat that got you two together?" She asked, eyes big as plates.  
  "In a way, my dear. That's the hat I wore when we met," His eyes drifted away, remembering how his life had been.  
"Grandpa! Grandad Philip is much better at telling this story than you are!" Rosa said.  
 "Is he? How dare you say such a thing?" Simon feigned being hurt by her comment, reclining dramatically into his chair and put the back of his hand against his forehead.

Simon had gone to make himself some coffee when he heard his husband's voice telling the sad part of their story. He didn't like dwelling on it. The mission. It had hurt him. Being apart from his beloved had given him emotional scars, abandonment issues, and the such. They never spent more than a day apart after that.

He stared out the kitchen window, looking at the sunset.

  
_"I just knew he was in love with me. I could see it In His Eyes,"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A translation of what they said in French:  
> "Hey, Simon,"  
> "Hey, Delphine, why are you here?"  
> "I'm seeing someone. It's a woman. I like men and women,"  
> "Me too, but I love Simon,"


End file.
